Violence Returns to Southern Syria as Ceasefire Breaks Down

 

Clashes between Druze and the government have returned to Syria’s southern Sweida province.

Four people died in fresh fighting on Sunday, according to monitoring groups, as the interim government blamed Druze local groups for violating the ceasefire agreement reached last month.

The Syrian government accuses these groups of starting the new round of fighting by breaking the ceasefire terms. However, the situation remains fluid as different factions continue to clash in the province.

The government said in a statement that “the media and sectarian mobilisation campaigns led by the rebel gangs in the city have not ceased over the past period.”

In July, the Sweida area saw deadly battles between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin groups, supported by government troops and tribal fighters.

Last month’s deadly clashes lasted a week and killed at least 260 people before both sides agreed to a ceasefire.

Tensions escalated further when Israel launched attacks on Damascus, claiming it aimed to protect the Druze community in Syria.

US President Donald Trump brokered a deal between Syria and Israel in tandem, After which Syria’s president Ahmed Al Sharaa declared a ceasefire.

Following the previous ceasefire, Sharaa said on state television that “the Druze people are an integral part of the fabric of this homeland.”

Sunday’s clashes show the ceasefire has failed to bring lasting peace to the region, as tensions between the different groups never fully disappeared, and violence has now erupted again.

Sweida province has experienced periodic violence between its various ethnic and religious communities throughout Syria’s long civil war.

The latest fighting reveals how fragile peace agreements remain in the country’s complex conflict zones.

Syria is rebounding from over a decade-long civil war and trying to reconstruct, but the reality is that the country has many internal and external challenges.